Worth the Sacrifice
by S.E. Mellark
Summary: With Sunningrocks passing ownership yet again, tensions between RiverClan and ThunderClan are taking a turn for the worse. Stoneshade has always tried to steer clear of conflict and keep his head down, so of course it's during this tumultuous time that he falls in love with the enemy. OCs, LGBTQ cats.


Notes: Recently reread the first story arc and had a lot of feelings about it. So, here I am.

**This story will include:** LGBT Cats, Referenced Character Deaths, Romance, Angst, Depression, Trans Male/Female Characters, Hurt/Comfort, & more stuff to be added later.

* * *

**RiverClan**

_Leader:_ Dawnstar – cream-colored tom with amber eyes

_Deputy:_ Snowberry – white she-cat with blue eyes

_Medicine Cat:_ Minnowcreek – golden tabby she-cat with brown eyes  
Apprentice: Oakpaw – tabby tom with a twisted front paw

_Warriors:_

Ravenfeather – large black tom with dark blue eyes  
Apprentice – Runningpaw – mottled gray tom

Stoneshade – black tom with dark blue eyes

Icestorm – silver tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Cloudripple – large cream-colored tom

Rosetail – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Feathertail – large black she-cat with a fluffy tail  
Apprentice – Sleepypaw – dark ginger she-cat

Toadleap – dark brown tom

Tallfoot – brown and white tom with black legs

Slatefur – silver tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

_Elders:_

Brownstripe – white-and-brown striped tom with amber eyes

Bluefern – blind pale-gray she-cat

**ThunderClan**

_Leader:_ Needlestar – dark brown tom with tufted ears

_Deputy:_ Honeybriar – golden tabby she-cat with brown speckling

_Medicine Cat:_ Fernfrost – dark gray she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

_Warriors:_

Viperfang – small, black mottled she-cat with a torn ear  
Apprentice – Whitepaw – a golden tabby tom with a single white paw

Weaselnose – dark gray she-cat with a bright pink nose and amber eyes

Cedarspark – black-and-brown mottled tom

Cinderwind – pale gray tom, blind in one eye

Violetspot – dappled gray she-cat

Flameblaze – large, golden tabby tom with yellow eyes

Sunheart – ginger tabby tom with a white chest and amber eyes

Nightshadow – black tom with a patch of white fur over one eye

_Queens:_

Cherrydapple – dark ginger she-cat with dark brown mottling (mother to Foxkit, a ginger tom, and Mousekit, a gray-and-white she-cat)

_Elders:_

Silversnow – gray-and-white she-cat with black spots

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Worth the Sacrifice - CHAPTER 1

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Amongst the four Clans, RiverClan and ThunderClan were probably the most adversarial towards one another. It mostly had to do with Sunningrocks, which ThunderClan had taken control of before Stoneshade had even left the nursery. He grew up hearing stories about the place from Brownstripe and Bluefern, who were really just upset that the best sunning spots were lost as soon as they retired to the Elder's Den.

They complained to anyone who would listen, and Stoneshade, as the only kit in his litter and a perpetual napper, was more than willing to sit and listen to his clanmates' grumblings.

Stoneshade couldn't help but join the elder cats in their bitterness. Stoneshade could only imagine how it felt to splay out on a sun-heated rock without worrying about being disturbed by a jumping toad or a pestering stork. Sunningrocks wasn't exactly close to RiverClan's camp, but it was certainly closer than ThunderClan's, or so Brownstripe said.

There just had to be something about those dumb rocks that made them worth fighting over. Sunningrocks had traded so many paws over the moons, and finally, _finally, _a RiverClan patrol had successfully fought off a group of ThunderClan warriors. They'd won the battle this time – or so he'd been told, Stoneshade was off helping Oakpaw and Whitepaw collect mint at the time – and Stoneshade was going to reap the benefits before the currents shifted again.

After finishing his morning patrol with Icestorm, Toadleap, and Snowberry, Stoneshade headed off toward the river where he spent so much time learning to swim and fish as a kit.

A large rock formation lay on the river's opposite side. From Brownstripe and Bluefern's stories, he'd once expected a large mountain of rocks, and hadn't he been disappointed as an apprentice when he first looked at it from behind RiverClan's border. There was a large, flat rock surrounded by two smaller ones, but they were wide and spacious. The largest could easily fit six or seven full-grown warriors while the other two could fit maybe three or four.

It was a familiar sight, though this was the first time Stoneshade would be allowed any closer. What was most notable to Stoneshade, though, was the cat he could see already lying on the middle rock.

And it definitely wasn't one Stoneshade recognized.

After steeling himself, Stoneshade slunk into the water, never once taking his eyes off the cat dozing on the rock. There was no way for him to tell if it was a Clan cat, a rogue, or even a kittypet. He didn't think he'd ever seen a cat like that at any Gathering before, though Stoneshade never remembered much about those nights. He mostly just kept his head down, stuck close to Cloudripple and Icestorm, and wished he were back in his nest.

They were probably a kittypet, Stoneshade decided as he finally reached the opposite bank. The cat hadn't lifted their head even once, and only a brainless kittypet could be that unobservant when no one was around to help watch their back.

All things considered, Stoneshade wasn't really in the mood for a fight. He wasn't Ravenfeather or Feathertail, who were both brazen enough to make a move on Sunningrocks without even consulting Dawnstar first. Stoneshade wasn't sure what starting a fight here could mean for himself or for his clan, but the other cat hadn't so much as even twitched as Stoneshade stalked closer, so how hard could it really be?

Deciding it was best to play safe than sorry, Stoneshade let out a hiss of warning, though he made sure to keep his claws sheathed. The ginger cat twitched a little, but their response time was way slower than Stoneshade was accustomed. Languidly, their eyes blinked open, and Stoneshade braced himself as the cat lifted their head.

For a moment, they did nothing but stare at one another. Stoneshade didn't move, but neither did the stranger. If anything, the other cat seemed entirely unconcerned. "What do you think you're doing?" Stoneshade demanded, tail lashing through the air behind him. The other cat tracked the movement with their eyes. "This is RiverClan territory."

At that, the other cat seemed confused, but only for a moment. The brief flash of emotion disappeared, replaced by an apathetic lethargy that reminded Stoneshade of Bluefern on her worst days. "Oh," the cat murmured, eyes drooping shut as their mouth opened in a wide yawn. "That's right."

The way they spoke was soft and slow. Stoneshade almost had to strain to hear over the running water at his back. The acknowledgement of RiverClan's ownership told Stoneshade this was more than likely a ThunderClan warrior. The knowledge, however, only put Stoneshade more on edge. What was this cat's deal? Were they sick?

"I don't want to fight you," Stoneshade said after another extended silence. "Go back to your own territory. This place is ours, now."

"Do we really have to fight over it?" the cat asked instead of recognizing Stoneshade's lenience as the gift that it was. "It's just a bunch of rocks."

Stoneshade couldn't help but unsheathe his claws at that, feeling the fur along his spine prickle with his annoyance. "You disrespect every single one of our ancestors who died for this place," he hissed, and the other cat seemed to curl into themself, ears drawing back against their skull.

"You… You're right," the ThunderClan cat replied. "I'm sorry."

An apology? In this situation? The enemy warrior was lucky Stoneshade's father and sister hadn't happened upon them instead. Ravenfeather and Feathertail weren't exactly the type to take a more diplomatic approach, especially not when it came to ThunderClan.

Stoneshade took a step closer, hoping to startle the other cat into retreating. But the ThunderClan warrior just watched him, ears still drawn back, amber eyes lidded and not entirely focused. Something was definitely wrong with them. _I can't fight a cat like this, _Stoneshade thought to himself.

"Go home," Stoneshade pressed. "This is your last warning."

Carefully, the ThunderClan cat got to their paws. Their ears straightened back up, and Stoneshade was struck by how large the other cat was now that they were standing at their full height. The two of them would be evenly matched in a fight, Stoneshade thought, if the other cat weren't so _strange._

He expected the cat to run off without preamble. But the ThunderClan warrior first dipped their head once to Stoneshade before turning and bounding off toward the tree line.

Stoneshade watched them go, still confused beyond belief even as he took the other cat's spot on the rock and settled down. "Why are ThunderClan cats so weird?" he mumbled to himself, lowering his head down to his paws.

He stayed there for most of the afternoon, but Stoneshade wasn't able to fall asleep even once.


End file.
